Posts tagged #documentaries

Is one type of personality an observer? I have heard of something like that. Being a photographer may imply that you have that kind of personality. I mean if you are inclined toward candid or news photography, that would be close. On the other hand, some like to create their own images, like filling their works with different props and added elements; that would be another kind of personality. And I think the differences can also explain why some filmmakers shoot documentaries while others create fictional films.

One of the best things about Hong Kong is that you can see a different facet of our lives at night. Of course nightlife exists in every city, but here people live their night lives on the streets and you can really see it. So people in this city like to take photographs at night, and so do I; it is the observer’s personality in me.

Observers are also scattered around parks in Hong Kong, be they beggars or retired old men. Frankly speaking, ‘they’ are mostly men, while retired women seem to have their own things to do instead of wandering around the streets at night. So as an observer, I leap at the chance to capture all these observers in parks, night markets, whatever. Here was a guy sitting in the park beside Temple Street (Photo 1), one of the busiest night markets in Hong Kong. I also sat down in the same park watching him and for a long while he was just sitting there staring at nothing. So was the man sitting beside him, who was staring at his own cell phone instead (Photo 2). And curious people just stopped at his side peeking at the cell phone to see his secret. I guessed it was news on horseracing or the like. Anyway, they are all observers, like me.

Shown in Photos 3 and 4 are glimpses of the Temple Street night market. The man keeping his stall in Photo 3 was selling paper cutting artifacts while a woman stopped by to look at an item that interested her. Photo 4 shows you the stall and the famous Mei Do Restaurant in the background, the landmark of Temple Street.

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About Alex Leung

Alex Leung is an independent filmmaker and photographer graduated from Hong Kong's famous film school. With great passion in photography and videography, he
has shot numerous film stills and photos for many publications and indie projects.

Alex believes an image can always tell a story better than words. He loves using flashes to create different dramatic effects for photos as much as he loves natural lighting.